Seven Deadly Sins: Envy

...be content with what you have, because God has said, 

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5

 

Webster defines envy as ...a feeling of discontent and ill will because of another's advantages, possessions, etc.  Synonyms for envy are jealousy, discontent, and coveting - which would link this sin to the 10th commandment - Thou shalt not covet.  On a website regarding the Seven Deadly Sins, I found a definition of envy that I really like:

Envy:  the desire for other's traits, status, 

abilities or situation

This definition covers a much broader understanding of envy.  We can be envious of who other people are (character and personality traits), who they are perceived to be by others (status), what they can accomplish (abilities & talents), or what they possess (situation).  

I'm not tempted by material possessions, nor by fame and status.  Abilities and talents?  That's another matter, entirely!  I have always loved nature photography, and several years ago I was fortunate enough to be able to obtain a Canon SLR camera with a great set of lenses.  I'll admit to having stars in my eyes as I thought of all that I could do with the wonderful photographs that I would take.  I took classes locally and online, took a million photographs, placed pictures with stock photo companies (with modest sales), and even opened a shop on Etsy to sell prints.  Problem?  No sales - not even one.  I would look at other photographers' stores who were selling photographs left and right.  Mine looked just as good (or better, in some cases - at least in my eyes), and right there lies the rub.  I began to be envious of other photographer's success and the lack thereof for me, and in a snit of "discontent and ill will,"  I closed the store, put the camera away, and shut myself off from something that I really love.

Envy can make you feel ugly about someone else, but mostly, it makes you feel ugly about yourself.  Paul told the Philippians that one of the great lessons he had learned in his years of spreading the Gospel was, ...in whatever situation I am to be content.   That is the goal I have for my life  - to possess the opposite of envy:  contentment.